


strawberry mentos (spencer reid x reader)

by spinningstrawberrymilk



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, POV First Person, Plot, Reader-Insert, Romance, Self-Insert, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:00:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28786095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinningstrawberrymilk/pseuds/spinningstrawberrymilk
Summary: y/n joins the bau and catches feelings for spencer. y/n grows a friendship with him and attempts to win his heart.basically a short love story between y/n and spencer :D
Relationships: Spencer Reid & Reader, Spencer Reid/Reader
Comments: 12
Kudos: 28





	1. meeting the team

**Author's Note:**

> this chapter is y/n meeting the team.  
> no spoilers here but it takes place in season nine and the story will eventually have spoilers so check the notes before reading!

Swinging open the glass doors, I held my head up, but of course not too high, but not too low either. I needed to look like I belonged there. Within seconds of entering the dull room, my eyes met a friendly woman. She greeted me with a smile, a smile that raised her obscurely shaped glasses to move with her cheeks. Her bright colors and full figure made my nerves calm. 

"Hi, there!" She waved to me, her left hand with papers and cream-colored folders. 

"Oh, howdy," I stumbled over my words, still working off my nerves. 

"You don't look familiar..." The woman paused, her purple-colored lips curled into a small line on her face. I stood there, my hands shaking with nervousness. 

"Oh well, I'm new to the BAU," I began to explain, trying my hardest to sound normal. 

"I'm Penelope Garcia!" She held out her hand with a smile, "But some people around here call me baby girl," Garcia laughed, pointing her thumb to a tall man walking in our direction. 

"Y/N," I giggled, taking her hand. 

"Hey, girl," The man had finally met up with us. His voice was deep, almost intimidating, but his warm smile made it hard to be. "Derek Morgan," He turned to me, waving his hand. 

"This is, Y/N," Garcia introduced. 

"Nice to meet you," Morgan grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're about to have a meeting for this next case," he started to explain, "I'd be happy to introduce you," 

"Um," I paused for one second too long, "Yes, that would be great!" 

Morgan smiled, somehow knowing how nervous I was. They led me to a rather large room, with a big round table taking up most of the space. There were various boards, whiteboards, and cork boards, filled with writing and crime scene photos. The strong fragrance of coffee filled my lungs. A blonde woman found staring at a projected screen, examining the case at hand. Her body was long and slim, and her clothing wrapped around her figure, perfectly accentuating her features.

"J.J," Morgan called, grabbing the attention of the woman standing before me. She spun around, her eyes examining my body. "This is Y/F/N," He rested his hands on my shoulder, causing me to flinch under his touch. 

"Agent Jareau," Her pink lips formed a smile, sending a rush of butterflies to my stomach

I waved, not wanting to shake any more hands than I already had. 

"Let's get started," A voice boomed from behind me. I turned to see Aaron Hotchner, my new boss. We had spoken earlier on the phone and had met in person once before. Two figures filed in from behind Hotch, one female, and one male. The woman took a seat, eyeing me nicely, while the man merely waved and took the seat next to her. 

"Have you all been introduced to agent Y/F/N yet?" Hotch announced 

"Just Y/N, please."

"Agent Rossi," The older man smiled 

"And Agent Blake," Hotch pointed to the dark-haired smiling woman next to Rossi. 

"Should we start without Spence?" J.J asked, taking the seat closest to the protecting screen. I looked at her, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I guess we'll have to," Hotch started before being cut off by the sound of footsteps and the fumbling of papers in a bag. I glanced at the doorway to see a lengthy male, his brown short curly hair dangling just above his eyes. He had a collared button-up shirt underneath his black sweater vest halfway tucked in his black pants held up by his belt. He carried a revolver handgun that sat oddly on his side, just next to his pocket. 

"Sorry," he said, sliding off his shoulder bag and placing it on the already filled round table.

I examined him, taking in all of his features. He had a silver wristwatch on his left arm, indicating he was most likely right-handed. He sat up straight in his chair with his hands folded in his lap. His brown eyes drew attention to the puffy and pink eyebags underneath them. 

Almost feeling my stare, he glanced over at me, sending me a soft yet crooked smile. I could feel a swarm of butterflies filling my stomach with each second we kept eye-contact. I directed my attention to Garcia, who was fiddling with the remote controlling the projection screen, explaining the victims and their unfortunate endings. Even with the gory images on the screen, my mind was still on Spencer. Something about him drew me in. I knew I wanted to get to know him.

"Wheels up in thirty," Hotch announced, signaling everyone to gather their papers, files, and tablets. Garcia, Morgan, and J.J chatted as they walked out the door while Blake, Ross, and Hotch had their conversation following behind them. I staggered behind, waiting for Spencer to gather his things. 

"Hey," I said with a sudden burst of confidence 

"Hi, I'm Doctor Spencer Reid," He grinned, flashing me a friendly wave

"Y/N," I stuttered, the boldness I had turning to a ball of anxiety. 

"There's no need to be nervous," I looked up at him with faint panic " I see that you're scratching the inside of your palm with your fingernails, which stems from nervousness, most commonly shown in people with anxiety disorders." Spencer began to ramble, tripping over his words a bit " In your case, I'm guessing it's social anxiety, assuming it's not a stress habit." I stared blankly at him, my ears and cheeks sizzling red. 

"Wow," I murmured, looking at my bright-pink palms. "I'm thirty minutes in, and I'm already getting profiled," I joked in an attempt to ease my embarrassment.

Spencer chuckled, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"But yeah," I murmured, "I am nervous," I admitted, walking alongside him. 

"Well," Spencer wet his lips, "I think you'll do great,"


	2. the first case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n's first case with the team!   
> this chapter has no spoilers :D  
> it does talk briefly about the details in a murder case, but nothing too graphic (the story for the killing was made up and isn't from an actual episode)

On the way to the jet, I kept running our conversation over and over in my head, taking note of every little thing he did, everything he said. 

"Y/N?" J.J inquired, noticing my focused gaze.

"Yes?" I blinked, looking up at her, avoiding eye-contact.

"Something on your mind?" She scanned my body, trying to read my behavior while leading me into the jet.

"Oh," I squeaked, trying to keep calm, " I'm just thinking about the case," I forced a cheeky grin. 

J.J's eyes followed Spencer as he passed us, taking a window seat. 

"Did he profile you?" She whispered discreetly

"Ah, um," I blushed as her smile widened, "It's nothing," Without giving her a second to respond, I walked further into the jet and looked for a seat.

Blake and Rossi were sitting at the little pop-out table across Spencer, while Hotch stood behind them, examining the files. Without wanting to stand there awkwardly for any longer, I sat on the long light-brown couch on the opposite side, facing the rest of the team.

I sat and watched as J.J and Spencer theorized and discussed the case. I loved hearing him ramble off statistics and facts that nobody else knew. The way his brown eyes would light up with each sentence.

Throughout the next few days, I found myself at the police station in Nevada, sitting with Spencer and J.J going over the case and perfecting the profile. The case involved multiple murders, all of which were men whose throats had been slit and each of the men had alcohol problems.

"Spence," J.J leaned back in the black chair, "What do you think we got wrong with the profile?" 

Spencer didn't look up from the whiteboard inches from his face. He kept writing, thoughts running in his mind.

"I think the unsub is a teenager," I peeped, looking at the gory images that laid on the cream-colored case file. J.J raised an eyebrow, turning her chair to face me on the opposite side of the table.

"What makes you think that?" J.J said a hint of a doubt what could also seem like confusion in her voice.

"Well, it's just a thought," I spat out my words, "but all of the killings took place after school. Each victim had kids in high-school."

"That could point to a teacher rather than a student," J.J bit her lip in thought. 

"I thought of that," I started to fiddle with my hands, "but all of the victims had been knocked out just before being stabbed, which makes me think they were physically weak." 

"I think Y/N is right," Spencer turned away from the board, gears turning in his head. Both J.J and I looked up at him. "All of the victims were killed and found within a ten-mile radius of Coral Academy High School," Spencer turned back to the map, popping off the cap to a red marker. "Garcia," 

"Tell me what you need, Boy Wonder," She responded in her regular, cheery voice from over the laptop speakers.

"I need you to check if any of the victim's children go to Coral Academy High School," Spencer requested.

"You've done it again! Each of them attends school at Coral Academy!" 

"Can you see if any of the students have a common connection?" Spencer turned back to us, playing with the red marker cap in his left hand. 

"All of them were in close contact with Tate Smith," Her typing speed increased with each bit of information. "He's a junior who lives with his mom and baby sister," She paused as she searched for more information. "The father passed away two weeks ago in prison. He was there for multiple alcohol-related crimes,"

"That must've been the trigger," J.J commented.

"And the motive," Spencer added, "he could be wanting to rid the world of anyone who resembles his father." 

"Or, he could be thinking he's helping his friends by getting rid of the problem." I smiled shyly, hoping I was right

"Garcia, could we get an address?" 

"Already sent it to the rest of the team. I'm on my way to notify Hotch!" Garcia left with a click of her mouse.

The rest of the team was able to arrest Tate before he harmed anyone else. We were on the jet ride back, everyone's nerves about the case had eased. With the hope of even having the smallest conversation with him, I built up the courage to sit next to Spencer this time. I kept glancing at him, a part of me wanting to catch his eye while the other knows I wouldn't be able to keep a conversation. 

"You did great," He said, his voice lowered and sleepy.

"You think so?" I stuttered while my face flushed

"Yeah," He smiled softly, his body now turned towards me.

"I think you did great too," I tripped over my words. We sat there in silence for a moment, both of us making and then breaking eye-contact. "Is there something on your mind?" 

"Huh?" Spencer let out a sound of confusion and cleared his throat

"It's just," I started to scratch my palm, "ever since Garcia announced the state, your behavior changed. At first, I thought it could've been something else that triggered it, but the past few days, I've noticed it's about the location." 

Spencer wet his lips, avoiding direct eye-contact with me.

"It's my mother," He fidgeted with his hands, "she has schizophrenia, and that's where she lives." 

"Did you visit her while you were there?"

"Yeah," he nodded, his messy hair bopping. I reached for his hand, causing him to flinch a bit. His face turned a soft shade of pink.

"Thank you for telling me." I looked down at our hands, sheer panic filling my body. Spencer noticed this, causing him to chuckle and then flashed me an open mouth smile that painted my face bright red. I quickly pulled my hand away, embarrassed. 

Throughout the rest of the jet ride, I could still feel Spencer's soft hand underneath mine. The faint smell of mahogany and spice radiated off of Spencer, sending me into a deep sleep.


	3. morning mentos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n and spencers morning interaction :0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still no spoilers yet,  
> brief desc of a murder (another made up one ofc)

Sitting at my desk, I peeled at the bright green tin wrapping that held the strawberry mentos I often popped into my mouth. I could hear Garcia making small talk with Morgan, J.J, and Alex chiming in every so often. 

"Strawberry mentos," I heard the newly familiar voice of Spencer above my desk. I looked up at him, a smile growing on my face. 

"Want one?" I gestured, holding the cylinder packaging up towards him.

Spencer smiled, taking the candy from my hand. He peeled the wrapping further down, causing more than one mento to fall out of the packaging. 

"Ah," He gasped, frantically trying to catch the falling candies. His attempt only made it worse. They bounced around in his hands before ricocheting on my desk to the carpeted floor. 

I giggled, covering my face with my hand. Spencer let out a short and breathy laugh as he crouched to the floor, fumbling with the mentos. 

"Sorry, I," Spencer said choppily, popping one of the rounded pink candies into his mouth with the rest laying on his spread palm. "I don't think you'll want these back," His eyes darted from his hand to me, a nervous smile on his flushed face.

"No," I rose to my feet, my head tilted up to face him, "It's fine," I cupped my hand over his, scooping the mentos from his shaky hand. Our faces turned a brighter pink with each second our hands touched. I let go of his hand, sliding one of the sweets into my mouth. 

We stood there smiling for what felt like an hour until he broke the silence.

"Are these your favorite candy?" He asked, moving the mento to the side of his right cheek with his tongue.

"Yeah," I locked eyes with Spencer, trying my hardest not to break the stare, "What's your favorite candy?" I found my hands fiddling with the mostly empty wrapper.

"I'm not real big on sweets, but," He started to explain with his hands, "if I had to choose, I think it would be black licorice." He finished with a warm smile.

"Really?" I subconsciously started swaying from side to side, my eyes still glued to Spencer, "I can't say I've ever had them."

"Let me know if you try them," He mumbled, "I would love to hear what you think of them," He wet his lips, his smile widening. 

"I will be sure to do that," I looked down at the floor and then back up at Spencer, our eyes locking once more.

"Guys," The loud creaking of Hotch's office door accompanied his announcing voice, "We've got a case," 

Spencer and I both looked over to him and then back at each other. 

"Well uh," Spencer adjusted the strap to his leather book bag, "we should get going," 

I nodded, gathering my folders in my arms. We walked to the meeting room together, having a small-chat back and forth till we made it to the round table. The rest of the team filed in behind us, each of them talking to one another.

"Alright crime-fighters, this case is in a small town in Minnesota, Buffalo Lake. The Browns and the Owens were both shot and killed in their homes just two days between each other," Garcia explained, her voice accompanied by the graphic images of the crime popping up on the screen. 

"Any connection between the two families?" Morgan inquired, slightly spinning in his chair.

"Negative, the only thing we have is similarities in the families but no specific connection." Garcia paused, fiddling with the remote, "Both the Owens and the Browns were middle-class, cookie-cutter American families, all with squeaky-clean records."

Even with the seriousness, I couldn't help but think about Spencer and I's interaction. Playing it through my head flushed my face almost as much as it did when it first happened. 

"Y/N," I was pulled back into reality by the friendly voice of Blake, "is there something on your mind?" She asked from across the table, her head tilted a bit.

"Oh!" I jumped up in my chair a bit, "nothing I," I glanced over at Spencer, his eyes focused on the case. "I just didn't get enough sleep last night, that's all." 

The team looked at me, each with different expressions. I needed to focus and contribute to this team, but every time I tried, my mind goes blank, and all I could see was Spencer's brown eyes.

"Considering neither of the families lived high-risk lives, we could be looking at an unsub who grew up either adopted or in the foster care system," Morgan suggested 

"Or he could've been abused in his childhood and took out families that had what he never had," J.J spoke, raising an eyebrow. 

"Considering the unsub shot directly to the head suggests he didn't want the killings to last long, so that eliminates the idea of a sadist and showing remorse." Spencer engaged with the team. 

"Whatever the case may be, the rate this unsub is going, we don't have much time before he kills again. Wheels up in thirty," Hotch announced, signaling us all to head to the jet. Everyone rose from their chairs, their minds racing with ideas about the case.

"Hey, Y/N," I quickly turned my head to face the voice of Spencer standing in the doorway while everyone filed out.

"Howdy!" I squeaked 

Spencer smiled at my awkwardness, his eyes darting from me to the floor. I sped up to meet him, my eyes widening as they gazed upon him. 

"What are you thinking about with this unsub?" I inquired, noticing his focused behavior. 

"Oh," He scratched the back of his head with his left hand, "Just running the details over," his other hand holding onto the leather strap of his shoulder bag.

We started our walk to the elevator that would eventually lead us to the jet, our feet tapping on the floor in sync. I kept my head down but, my eyes kept peeking up at Spencer, his floppy curtain of hair bouncing with each step. Catching my eye, he shot me a nervous grin, causing me to look away for a second. This game continued for a while, our eyes meeting then breaking the gaze. We met up with the rest of the team waiting for us in the elevators.

Flashing a small wave to the team, Spencer and I stepped into the crowded elevator. Morgan removed his hand from the elevator doorway, allowing the door to finally close. J.J picked up on the conversation she and Blake were having while Hotch and Rossi continued theirs. Spencer and I picked back up on our glancing game, both of us snickering a bit with each gaze. 

Suddenly, I felt the soft touch of his finger on the back of my relaxed hand. I flinched, raising an eyebrow at him. He looked down at our hands, discreetly sliding a pink Mento into the cracks of my fingers. My face glowed pink, my eyes locked on Spencer's beaming face as I popped the candy into my mouth, letting the taste splash on my tongue.


	4. rose wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n goes out for drinks with the team :0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no spoilers, but the case mentioned is from an episode

It had been a few weeks since Spencer and I's first mento interaction, and ever since then, we'd been sliding each other mentos. We never really talked about it, but we certainly did it. It became something I looked forward to every time I got to work and never failed to make my day. He would always get there before me, so I'd have a mento on my desk by the time I'd get there. So then, later in the day, I'd find a way to slip him one without him noticing right away, usually in his pocket or sometimes when I pass his desk. This game helped break the ice between us, and I finally felt more comfortable around him.

On this particular evening, the team and I had just gotten back from a case in Pittsburg, where an old couple got off on killing together. We talked about the weirdness of the case while the elevator took us up to the main floor. The pitter-patter of our tired feet on the aluminum tile echoed as we walked out of the elevator.

"Who is up for drinks?" Garcia announced, greeting our worn-out faces. Everyone cheered in agreement, all talking over each other.

"I'll drive," Hotch smiled.

"Y/N," J.J walked me to my desk, "You coming with us?" She smiled, watching me freeze.

"Oh, I'm really not much of a drinker," I mumbled, trying not to sound rude.

"Come on, live a little," J.J continued, speaking a little louder than usual.

"Y/N, you're not coming?" Garcia waddled in her high heels over to me, breaking her conversation with Morgan. I sighed, knowing Garcia would be disappointed.

"I'm sorry, I just don't do that,"

"No, no, no, no." Garcia whined, reaching for my hands, "You have to come!"

"Spence is coming too," J.J smiled, glancing at Spencer.

I averted my gaze, my face flushing.

"You should come, Y/N" I looked up to see Spencer standing next to J.J and Garcia.

"Ah, but, I," I stumbled over my words, my mind scattered.

Spencer tilted his head as he towered over me, his pleading brown eyes studying me. That was the closest he had ever been, so close that I could smell the spice and mahogany so vividly. Without finishing my thought, I stood staring into his eyes. He wet his lips and smiled.

"Come on," Rossi called from the glass doorway. Hotch, Blake, and Morgan stood waiting with him.

"Okay..." I started, "I will!" I smiled  
Garcia and J.J cheered, heading to meet Rossi and the others.

Once entering the bar, a wave of various smells of alcohol filled my senses. The room was very rectangular, and the mostly filled tables along the walls each had a small hanging light above them. The brightest light source came from the bar. The bottles and glasses caught the light, making them shine.

As Rossi lead us to a round table at the corner of the bar, I looked around, taking in the indistinct chatter from the filled bar. Garcia took a seat next to Morgan while Blake, Hotch, and Rossi filed in next to them.

"I'll go get your drinks, so Spence and Y/N sit down so I can sit on the end," J.J smiled, hovering over the table.

Spencer stepped to the side, gesturing for me to slide in the rounded booth. I nodded, sliding in next to Rossi. Spencer waited for me to get situated before slipping in next to me. J.J's smile formed into a smirk.

Everyone listed their drinks off to J.J with bits of chatter in between. I tried to draft my drink idea in my head, but I couldn't help but be distracted by Spencer. His elbows were propped up on the table, while his interlocked fingers made a shelf for his chin to rest on.

" _He’s so pretty_ ," I thought. I just wanted to stare at him.

"Y/N, what drink do you want?" J.J and Spencer turned their attention towards me while everyone else indulged in their conversation

"Just a glass of rose wine," I smiled, taking my eyes off Spencer.

"I'll have a glass too," Spencer added on, flashing me a quick smile that painted my cheeks a faint pink.

"What do you usually drink when you're out?" I inquired, shifting my body to face him

"Well," he lifted his once resting head, tilting it to face me, "I usually get whatever someone else gets. I don't have a go-to order."

"I think you might like this one," I cracked a nervous smile "it's pretty cheap too,"

"Rose wine is cheap due to the lack of time it takes to produce and manufacture. It's made from red wine grapes and is actually produced similarly to red wine, but with reduced time fermenting with grape skins." He went on to explain, his hands following every word, "The reduced skin contact gives the wine a pink hue, hence the name."

I giggled at the excitement he had from rambling. I could sit and listen to him ramble for hours on end.

"Here you are," J.J brought over as many drinks as she could, none of which were Spencer and I’s.

"Yes!" Garcia stood up, taking the glasses from J.J excitedly and distributing them to the others

"Getting yours," J.J pointed to Spencer and me. He nodded and then turned his direction back to me. I was shocked he actually wanted to engage in conversation with me, considering how dry some of my responses were. I really did want to have a good conversation with him, but every time I try to form a complete sentence, my mind turns to mush and, my tongue gets all dry and, I can't.

Once J.J brought us our drinks, she finally sat down next to Spencer.

"Hey Spence," J.J tapped his shoulder, signaling him to direct his attention onto her.

"Hmm?" Spencer murmured.

"Could you scooch in more? I'm practically falling off the edge," She laughed, sending me a subtle smirk.

"She knows what she's doing." I thought, my heart racing

Spencer and I peeked over, looking at J.J's seating situation, and as I thought, she had plenty of space.

"Sure,"

I took the hint and scooted in closer to Rossi, leaving a comfortable amount of space between us. Spencer slid closer, trying not to get too close.

"Ah, a little more," J.J took a sip of her white wine, waving her hand.  
I started to get closer to Rossi before hearing J.J.

"No, not you. Rossi's going to squish Hotch." She took another sip, hiding her widening grin

Spencer's face flushed as he slid closer to me, shrinking the gap between us. I could smell the newly familiar smell of musk and spice.

"Wait," J.J slid closer to Spencer, pushing him slightly closer to me, "there," She sighed, "That's better," propping her left foot on her right knee, taking up the extra space Spencer had given.

We looked at each other, our faces inches apart. I smiled, feeling heat rush to the back of my neck. I reached for my glass, taking a long sip. I glanced over at Garcia, who kept raising her eyebrows at me while whispering with Morgan.

" _Jesus, am I really that easy to read?_ "

After a few glasses, I had really loosened up. Not to mention the blush from being tipsy helped hide my blush from Spencer. I wasn't much of a drinker, so a few glasses were able to make me a lot more drunk than the others.

"Y/N?" Spencer said in a voice low, almost a whisper

"Yes?" I whispered back, giggling in between burps. I looked up at his focused eyes. His lips slightly parted, the raw smell of wine ghosted across my face. I shot a quick look at everyone else, checking to see if anyone was paying attention. They were all laughing and chatting loudly, seemly ignoring the position Spencer had put himself and me in

"Why are you still so nervous around me?" He wet his lips

I looked at his alcohol flushed face, unsure of what was going on. "It makes sense for you to have been anxious around me for the first week or so, considering you're new to the team," He locked his eyes with my moving ones, "but you're still so anxious around me. It would be different if you were still nervous with everyone else, but you're comfortable with everyone else on the team..."

My nails started to dig into my sweating palms, the heat from my neck spread to my entire body.

"Why is that?" he finished, scanning my body, breaking the previously attempted eye-contact.

"Well," I slurred loudly, catching the attention of the rest of the table, "You're just so," I looked at him as he raised an eyebrow, "pretty," I hiccuped, smiling from ear to ear. His face flushed a bolder shade, a confused grin grew on his face.

The table went silent. The only sounds heard were the indistinct chatter from the rest of the bar, along with some bottles and glasses clinking together. For what felt like forever, everyone focused on the awkwardness I had caused.

"I think someone has had a little too much to drink, huh, Y/N?" Rossi nudged me with a laugh, prompting everyone to join. They took his hint and filled the silence with laughter and small comments, all overlapping each other.

After about thirty minutes or so, I started to feel drowsy. I could barely keep my eyes open, even with the lively chatter from the team. I found myself continuously bopping my head, dozing in and out of consciousness. I leaned my head back against the corner of the rounded red leather booth, allowing my eyes to shut. With the last bit of consciousness I had left, I felt my body slide to the side, resting my weight on Spencer. I took a deep breath before dozing off on his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! i’m so sorry for not updating sooner, i’ve been very unmotivated but i have big plans for the fic!


	5. hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the morning after the bar :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no spoilers

The next morning, I found myself in a colorful room, silk purple pillowcases and bedsheets surrounding me on the very soft bed I was in. In moments of sitting up, I felt a huge pain spread across my forehead, accompanied by a slight ringing in my ear.

"Where," I mumbled to myself, not having enough energy to finish my thought. 

My vision blurred in and out of focus as I saw the familiar shape of Garcia turn the corner into the room. 

"You're awake!" She cheered, sitting down on the corner of the bed, a colorful unicorn mug in hand. 

I shifted my body up, still trying to process the situation. Garcia waved her hand, motioning me.

"Don't move so quickly!" She exclaimed wordily, "It won't be good for your headache,"

"Where am I?" I asked, already assuming it was Garcia's apartment

"My apartment," She smiled, looking down at the liquid in her mug. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I didn't know where you live, so Reid and I took you here because it was the closest to the bar,"

“Wait, did you say Reid?” I exclaimed, looking at her, finally processing what she had said, my head pounding.

"Yeah! He insisted on helping to make sure you got home safely, considering you passed out on his shoulder" She laughed, walking over to the bedside table, setting down the mug. 

I looked up, feeling my face run pale. 

"I did what?" My tired eyes widened, trying to read Garcia

"Yeah," she nodded.

"What else did I do? Did I," my sentence was cut off by a sharp pain in my head. 

"Ooh, take the medicine on the table there." Garcia pointed to the bottle of Advil next to the colorful mug. I opened the bottle, spreading the pills on the palm of my hand. 

"The water, there," She added on, pointing to the mug.

I popped the pills in my mouth before drowning them with the water from the mug. I took an extra-long sip before putting the mug back on the side table.

"So," Garcia started, holding back a laugh, "you remember J.J putting you and Reid closer, right?" 

I nodded.

"Okay, so once you started drinking everything was all fine and dandy. Until that is, when you and he started talking," Garcia explained, her facial expressions changing as the story progressed. 

This sent faint memories flashing in my brain. I could smell Spencer hovering over me, a blurry image of his brown eyes. 

"And, you guys started talking. Reid was being quiet about it or something because I hadn't even noticed," This made my nerves calm for a second, "until that is," 

"Oh shit," I grumbled out loud.

"You said loudly, 'You're just so pretty,'" Garcia mimicked, exaggerating the drunken impression of me.

I felt my once pale face run red. 

"Please tell me you're joking," 

She shook her head, her bright pink lips forming a tight line. 

"And then later you passed out on his shoulder, blah, blah, blah, and here you are!" She babbled with her hands, "I tried to ask him what you guys were talking about to lead to that conversation," I took a sip from the mug of water, my face sizzling from the embarrassment, "But he wouldn't say..." Her voice trailed off

"So, everyone heard?" I leaned in, hiding half of my face behind the mug, my eyes peeking over the brim.

"Mhm." Garcia scooched in, now fully on the bed, sitting cross-legged.

I placed the mug down before burying my face in her silk pillows.

"Oh it wasn't that bad," Garcia rubbed my back.

"Yes, it was." I felt hot tears well in my eyes, doing everything in my power to hold them down.

"Why? What was so bad about it?" She laughed.

"I know it doesn't seem like that big of a deal," I started, sitting up to face her.

"Because it's not," She pointed her acrylic nail at me.

"But I just don't want to ruin the friendship we started." I looked down, pushing down my tears of embarrassment. "We've only known each other for barely over a month. There's no way he would develop feelings for me as quick as I did."

"Well, he might be a good profiler," She started, reaching for my shaky hands, "but he is very clueless when it comes to women being interested in him. I don't even think he will take what you said last night as flirting. He may very well take it as you just complimenting him!" She said, attempting to reassure me

"I guess you're right," I said doubtfully, glancing from Garcia's smile to the floor. 

"I'll go get you some breakfast!" Garcia hopped out of bed before bouncing out the door and into the kitchen. 

I sank back into the bed, my eyelids slowly draping over my eyes. 

The next day, I was headache free and ready for the day. All my nerves were calm until I got into the elevator with Morgan. 

"So," He stood with his hands held together in front of his body. "You and Reid, huh?" I could feel his smirk widening. 

I kept my eyes on the elevator door and said nothing, but my bright pink face told him everything he wanted to know.

"Or, pretty boy, as you would call him." 

_"God fucking damn it."_

"I don't know what you're talking about." I forced a laugh, my eyes still glued to the unpolished steel door.

This, however, only amused him more.

Saved by the bell, the ding sound of the elevator pinged, the doors opening. I darted past him, heading to the minny kitchen around the corner. 

I was pouring myself a cup of coffee, preparing myself for the next person I had to face.

Coffee in hand, I walked over to my desk, and to my supersize, I could a pink mento placed on my desk. I could feel a smile growing on my face with each step closer I took. Scanning the room, I noticed Spencer's brown eyes watching me as I sat in my seat. I spun around in my chair, facing the opposite direction, dreading for him to walk over to me. He did so as he would almost every morning.

"Morning," Spencer waved, sitting on the edge of my desk. 

I froze, my face flushing.

"Morning." I spat out, shoving the mento in my mouth. He let out a small chuckle, watching me avoid eye-contact. 

"Are you feeling okay?" He tilted his head, studying me.

"Yeah," I smiled, a pit of anxiety filling my stomach. 

"I'm glad," He smiles, licking his lips out of habit. "Uh, so I was thinking," He stuttered, his hands starting to fidget, "Well, wondering actually," 

I let out a soft laugh, trying to ease his nerves. 

"if you wanted to go out for drinks again. This time with just you, Garcia, J.J, and I. I had a lot of fun talking with you the other day, and I would really enjoy getting to know you better."

My smile grew and I found my nails scratching my palms.

"It's found that people who don't normally go out for drinks tend to do better in smaller groups, and maybe that might make your experience better." He smiled, his eyes darting all over me, struggling to keep eye-contact.

"I would like that," I blushed

"And maybe," He added on, talking with his hands, "once you're more comfortable around me, we could go watch a movie or something together. Just us." He finished with a wide smile.

I felt my ears start to warm, turning crimson.

"Yeah," I gushed, gazing into his warm brown eyes. Instead of looking away, we sat staring at each other. It felt like we were the only two people on earth. Time was still.

"Y/N, Reid." The monotone voice of Hotch announced from his office, snapping me out of the trance Spencer's eyes had put me in.

"Let's get to work." I flashed Spencer one last smile before heading to the meeting room to discuss the next case. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for keeping up with my story! it means a lot to see people enjoying it!


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